Conventional automobile transmissions are controlled through a gear shift assembly connected to the transmission through a mechanical linkage. The gear shift is normally prominently positioned adjacent the driver's seat for easy access. In a vehicle having either an automatic or a manual transmission, to change the transmission gear position the operator moves the gear shift to a position corresponding to the intended gear position, e.g., park, neutral, drive, reverse, etc.
Unfortunately, known mechanical transmission gear shift assemblies occupy a significant amount of passenger compartment space. Compartment space has always been a valuable commodity in automobile design. With the introduction of new features and technologies to automobiles, compartment space is becoming increasingly valuable.
Recently, shift-by-wire transmission range selector systems have been implemented in automobiles, e.g. to save space in the interior compartment. In a shift-by-wire system, a driver manipulates a driver interface module to control operation of an electro-mechanical actuator associated with the transmission. The actuator moves the transmission to an intended gear position in response to position selected by the driver on the driver interface module. The mechanical linkage from the driver shift assembly to the transmission is thus replaced by an electrical connection to the actuator.